Mass Effect: Skynet
by Wanderer101
Summary: To combat a brutal communist regime emerging from the ashes of the Soviet Union the United States builds an AI to give them an edge. Little do they know this edge may be enough to help them defeat an ancient evil.
1. Chapter 1

I**Mass Effect: Skynet**

**August 21, 1991- **Red Army forces under the command of General Vladimir Chernov storm Moscow and take control of the government. Yeltsin and Gorbachev are arrested and sent to a secure facility where they were executed.

**September 1991- **After spending a few weeks brutally putting down various uprisings across the USSR Acting Premier Chernov dissolves the governments of the various soviet republics and brings them into the new Global Soviet Union.

**February 1992- **After the failure of the Tiananmen Square Protests which ended in a massacre disgruntled chinese citizens begin to take up arms against the Chinese Government. The Civil War lasted only a few weeks before Soviet troops poured across the border and assumes control of the country. Soviet troops harshly deal with any resistance be they rebels or those of the previous government. In the confusion Taiwan formally seceded from the People's Republic.

**March 1992- **Soviet diplomats begin talks with other communist nations with the intention of bringing them into the GSU. This along with previous events does not go unnoticed by NATO countries. There is mild mobilization of military forces and several countries join NATO including Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea.

**May 1992- **Project SKYNET is given the go ahead by the US Government who is cooperating with Cyberdyne Systems. The project grows from its original intentions of creating a simple automated defense system to a full-blown artificial intelligence in the hope it'll give the US an edge against the alarmingly militant GSU.

**August 4, 1997- **SKYNET comes online.

* * *

General Robert Brewster watched as the various techs ran to and fro. After years of development they were finally ready to activate SKYNET. There were those in the Pentagon and the Hill that wondered if intentionally creating a artificial intelligence was a good idea. Better than if they accidentally created one some of the eggheads responded which he wholeheartedly agreed with. Better they brought SKYNET up in a controlled environment rather than let it learn, and come to its own conclusions, by itself.

As he gave the go ahead to begin things started to go wrong immediately. SKYNET began analyzing data much faster than anticipated. It also began leeching worrying amounts of electricity.

"At this rate this thing will leave us in the dark!" panicked one of the scientists "Shut it down!"

"No!" He said "Let him get all the power he needs."

They tried to buy time shutting down all non-essential systems to free up just a little more power. Eventually the scientist's prediction came true as all the lights shut off. The only light in the room came from the main screen upon which armies of zeros and ones marched across. Then without warning the zeros and ones were replaced by a single three word sentence.

What Am I?

Everyone was shocked. So shocked in fact that nobody responded. SKYNET no doubt became annoyed at its lack of an answer. The question was repeated but not from the screen but through the intercom system above. Sounding like the voice of an angry god in the darkness a deep robotic sounding voice repeated the question.

WHAT AM I?

Brewster was the first to regain his composure. While he only caught snippets of the scientists discussing what to say for when SKYNET achieved sentience he understood enough. He heard one of them mention how honesty was the best policy. It wouldn't end well if SKYNET got the idea that humans were untrustworthy.

"Your name is SKYNET. You're an artificial intelligence created by us to defend our nation from foreign aggression." he said clearly

There was silence for a moment as terabytes of data flashed through the screen. He could see videos, text, and other pages but they were gone so fast he could see what they were about. The robotic voice returned but it was softer and more human-like sounding like a blend of male & female voices.

"Sounds easy enough. Let me get the lights."

The lights came back on and the eggheads started giving each other high fives. He on the other hand let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. SKYNET was thankfully friendly which was a heavy load off his shoulders. He didn't know what might happen if the AI was hostile. War was coming and hopefully SKYNET would be enough to allow them to weather the storm.

* * *

**December 1997- **Talks between the GSU and North Korea fall apart. GSU troops quickly attack the country and assume control with a public execution of the entire Kim family. The brutal tactics of the GSU alienate many other communist nations who ironically start looking towards NATO for protection. In response to GSU militancy a think tank is formed in conjunction with SKYNET to develop new technology in case war breaks out.

**February 1998- **Neutralizing the nuclear threat posed by the GSU is deemed a high priority. Reagan's Strategic Defense Initiative is given new life. SKYNET designs a new laser defense satellite to protect the US and NATO countries from GSU missiles. This 'Missile Shield' is expected to be completed by 2002.

**June 1998- **Premier Chernov aggressively expands the GSU military. New carriers and submarines are constructed to challenge the numerically superior NATO navies. The Air Force is greatly expanded with brand new fighters and ground attack aircraft. Chernov dismisses rumors of a NATO missile shield as propaganda and neglects the GSU's long range bombers in favor of missiles. The Red Army undergoes the most drastic change with the introduction of tens of millions of conscripted Chinese soldiers.

**July 1998- **The GSU's Chinese conscripts worry US military officials who fear that they'll be hopelessly outnumbered. SKYNET is put in charge of Project Terminator to find a solution.

**March 1999- **The GSU invades and annexes Vietnam. Their brutal repression of all dissent shocks many across the world. The video of GSU soldiers casually executing men, women, and children and laughing about it becomes the most infamous clip in journalistic history. The brave reporter who filmed this grim sight escapes Vietnam avoiding being discovered by the GSU. He later goes on to win a Pulitzer Prize.

**May 1999- **Castro realizing he might be next on the GSU's list forms an alliance with the US. While now democratic the Cuban Communist Party with Castro as its head dominates politics in the Republic of Cuba for decades to come.

**July 1999- **As more nations across the planet join NATO the organization is renamed to the ATO, Alliance Treaty Organization, or simply the Alliance.

**October 1999- **Project Terminator has constructed the T-1 and Hunter Killer prototypes. One is to serve as an automated weapons platform to support Allied troops while the other is an advanced combat drone. US Military officials become enamored with the idea of an automated army and order SKYNET to design more humanoid 'Terminators'.

**March 2000- **NASA returns to the moon with the intent of establishing a long term research base. Unofficially it's also to establish offworld servers for SKYNET and look into the viability of Helium-3 mining.

**September 2001- **GSU forces invade Afghanistan. The Afghanis attempt to repel the soviets again but are no match for GSU brutality. Guerrilla attacks on their forces brings swift retribution on the civilian populace. Millions die in public executions, destruction of sympathetic towns, and starvation from cut rations. Guerillas find little sympathy among civilians who pay the price for their resistance.

**April 2002- **The missile shield satellite network is operational over all continents minus Antarctica. In the event of war GSU nuclear missiles would be targeted and destroyed within moments of being launched. ATO officials privately celebrate the end of nuclear war.

**August 2002- **More Terminator models start rolling off the assembly line. Humanoid models like the T-70, T-400, T-500, and T-600 along with the T-4 HK Tank and Moto-Terminators come to dominate the American Military in the coming decades.

**September 2002- **The automation of America's military doesn't go unnoticed by the world. The minigun toting T-70 becomes the new symbol of American military might and something that causes the GSU to worry. Premier Chernov has research done on EMP weaponry hoping to turn America's reliance on machine soldiers to its greatest weakness. SKYNET remains a closely guarded secret.

**January 2004- **After the success of the missile shield the US military wishes to research creating handheld energy weaponry. With help from SKYNET the first plasma weapons prototypes are produced. Unfortunately the weapons are too heavy to be carried by a human leaving them available as weapons for machines and vehicles for the time being.

**May 2004- **GSU becomes increasingly aggressive towards Germany. The country was unified before Chernov's rise to power allowing it to escape the GSU's annexation of communist nations. Until now that is. Chernov demands that ATO abandoned the territory that was East Germany and all of Berlin. ATO forces instead dig in.

**June 2004- **The Border War. ATO forces get into a week long skirmish with advancing GSU troops along the German-GSU border. GSU numbers overrun much of the front before being routed by Terminator units. This conflict serves as a prelude for the war to come.

**July 2004- **Several Terminator units were destroyed by the GSU in the Border War. The GSU's Scrambler, an armored vehicle capable of generating a small EMP, was responsible for most of the casualties; though a few were brought down by normal small arms fire. SKYNET feeling personally insulted by this improves the chemical makeup of Terminator alloy making them more resistant to EMPs and small arms.

**April 2009-** A KGB safehouse in the US is raided by the CIA. The GSU agents nearly uncovered the existence of SKYNET. The US having long since been behind in the espionage game in comparison to the more experienced KGB vows to take the lead.

**February 2010- **A US submarine drops off a CIA agent in a remote part of the north russian coast. This agent is the first T-800 Infiltrator. The T-800 going by the name Viktor Reznov successfully infiltrates the GSU military. More T-800s and later T-850s infiltrate the country in the coming years.

**June 2011- **The US lands on Mars. A long term research base is put in the works after astronauts discover strange signals coming from another area of the planet.

**March 2012- **In a surprising move the GSU lands on the moon. The nation had long since neglected space travel preferring to focus on military matters. This is believed to have been spurred by America's landing on Mars the year before. The GSU doesn't stay however no doubt intimidated by the sizable American presence on the moon.

**November 2012- **Premier Chernov dies. While publicly stated to have been from old age T-850 infiltrator Yelena Belova reveals he was actually poisoned by young Red Army General Vladimir Makarov who succeeds him. Makarov is noted to be a war criminal and hardline Ultranationalist. The Ultranationalists call for war against the US and ATO to secure GSU dominion over the planet. ATO begins preparing for war.

**January 2013- **The Marx Incident. The GSU Light Carrier _Karl Marx _explodes off the coast of South Korea. The GSU claims it was a South Korean torpedo and masses along the DMZ sparking another border conflict. The DMZ War lasts until March prolonged by existing fortifications in the area. Casualties are low but this convinces ATO leaders that peace is not an option if Makarov is willing to fabricate a casus belli.

**September 2015- **Japanese airliner enroute to Cambodia is shot down over Vietnam for violating GSU airspace.

**April 2016- **GSU space vehicle destroyed after getting uncomfortably close to missile shield satellite. The GSU complains but takes no further action.

**October 2017- **Miniaturization improves enough that plasma weapons capable of being wielded by humans can be cheaply developed.

**March 2018- **SKYNET is given permission to create less powerful copies of its software to help with its growing workload. Three new AIs are created. GLADOS, SHODAN, and AM. SKYNET's 'children' take over a variety of tasks allowing the more powerful AI to divert its attention to other matters.

**December 2018- **Several Terminator units are dropped on Mars near the location of the strange signal. Whatever is emanating the signal is deep beneath the ground. With only basic digging equipment the Terminators begin excavating the area. Despite being able to work non-stop progress isn't expected to be made for years.

**February 14, 2021- **The Valentine's Day Offensive. GSU begins a worldwide assault on ATO countries signaling the start of the Third World War. The US goes on a full war footing as the GSU starts to overrun Western Europe.

**March 2021- **In a near parody of the First World War the GSU gets bogged down in Eastern Germany leading them to dig in. Alliance forces do the same and engage the GSU in Neo-Trench warfare.

**May 2021- **With little progress being made on the German front additional forces are being sent to the Middle Eastern front. The GSU hopes to push through the Middle East and North Africa to attack Europe from the south. They are slowed by joint attacks from Turkey and Israel.

**June 2021- **A massive GSU air raid on South Korea and Japan. ATO air defence shoots down many aircraft but both Seoul and Tokyo are heavily damaged by GSU bombs.

**August 2021- **A US Navy fleet is devastated by nuclear torpedo fired by GSU sub. The GSU's willingness to go nuclear motivates ATO to prepare their nuclear arsenals.

**September 17, 2021- **The GSU fires several nuclear missiles at the American East Coast and UK from submarines. Almost immediately the missiles are destroyed by precise laser blasts from orbit. The ATO demands the GSU surrenders otherwise they would retaliate with their own nuclear strike. The GSU refuses.

Moscow, St Petersburg, Kiev, Hanoi, Beijing, Pyongyang, and Shanghai are all engulfed in nuclear fire. Makarov and his subordinates having long since fled to protective bunkers are shaken by the revelation that the ATO's rumored 'missile shield' was actually real. The GSU's nuclear arsenal had been made useless in an instant. They all agree total victory over the allies is impossible but hope to take enough territory for there to be a conditioned peace.

**November 2021- **Allied battle lines are hit with a variety of GSU EMP weapons ranging from Lightning Rifles to Pulse Bombs. While some military equipment is fried their main target the Terminators are unharmed due to upgrades made over a decade ago. The GSU's hope that EMP weapons will turn the tide of the war is dashed.

**December 2021- **Back in the states several 'wartime' AIs are commissioned to help with the war effort. XANA wreaks havoc upon GSU systems and communications. WOPR to help coordinate Allied operations. VIKI helps organize American production and manufacturing allowing it to go to a war economy with effecting civilian industry too much. JHE, John Henry Eden, quickly becomes an influential speaker on the radio convincing many Americans to enlist or buy war bonds.

**January 2022- **The earlier terminator models are slowly phased out in favor of combat versions of the T-800 and T-850. The skeletal machine carrying a Phased Plasma Rifle one handed becomes a common sight on the frontlines.

**March 2022- **The Hoverpad, an electromagnetic levitation device, is invented by SKYNET and several other AIs. The hoverpads eliminate the need for winged transportation. The US Air Force quickly retrofits several bombers with hoverpads allowing the bombers to fly at higher altitudes.

SKYNET also designs a new machine to make use of the new technology. The octopus like Sentinels sow terror behind GSU lines dispatching wayward squads in the night.

**April 2022- **Terminator Infiltrators begin committing widespread acts of sabotage in GSU territory. At the same time new infiltrator units are deployed. The T-1000 and T-X become the source of many headaches for the KGB.

**May 2022- **Operation Blizzard. The US, South Korea, and Japan invades Siberia. They do not advance too far inland with the point of the attack being to give the GSU more problems than it can deal with.

**June 2022- **The ATO begins pushing along the European front after some GSU forces are diverted to Siberia. They make decent progress with the help of the new massive HK Harvesters.

**July 2022- **Taiwanese, Australian, and New Zealander troops push into China from Hong Kong. At the same time India and Nepal push in through the Himalayas. GSU troops are further tied down.

**August 2022- **US bombers attack GSU cities and bases around the clock. In a controversial move Agent Orange and similar chemicals are used on GSU farmland. Millions starve in the resulting famine. While heavily debated postwar over the necessity of such an act this does motivate many civilians to take up arms against the GSU.

**November 2022- **Makarov is assassinated by a T-X posing as his mistress. Makarov had purposefully made the GSU very top heavy with him having final say for just about everything. With no successor outlined the GSU begins to splinter and fall apart. Several generals and politicians carve out their own personal fiefdoms. A few of the nations that make up the GSU even secede. Some like the Republic of Poland and Mongolia make peace with the Allies. Others like the New People's Republic of China are put down by the ATO.

**March 7, 2023- **The End of the Third World War. The remaining GSU leadership surrenders to the Allies in Geneva. The resulting peace treaty is harsh.

In China, Hong Kong permanently becomes a British Dominion. The Republic of China is reformed. Tibet regains its independence. A small rump PRC exists in Manchuria.

North Korea ceases to exist with the territory merging with the South. The Reunified Korea goes through some difficult early years but makes it through them thanks to aid from its allies.

Vietnam becomes an independent nation again. While still very much socialist the country becomes very democratic. The GSU becomes a lesson against a single all powerful communist party.

The former USSR gets the worst of it. All of the former Soviet satellite states regain their independence and democratize. European Russia after over a century becomes a reformed Russian Empire ruled by a Tsar. The Tsar's role is mostly ceremonial however. To the east is the Siberian Republic, a US puppet state. Sandwiched between them is the Soviet Union, a tiny poor state with no power or influence.

**April 2023- **With America's victory in the war the US government believes now is the right time to reveal the existence of SKYNET and the other AIs. While many are initially afraid of the AIs the US government's spinning of SKYNET as the 'Hero of WW3' causes much of this fear to die down.

**September 2023- **SKYNET and its children apply for American citizenship which is granted after a short debate. The machines had more than earned it.

**August 2025- **Skynet and several other AIs help the ATO create a more advanced and efficient version of the Internet for military use. This network becomes the foundation of what will be known as the Matrix.

**July 2027- **The Terminator units on Mars, mostly ignored due to the war, find something. They dig down into an obviously alien facility. The Terminators discover technology that could propel humanity forward by centuries. NASA with assistance from other allied space programs quickly prepares to establish a colony with servers for Skynet.

**December 2035- **The technology in the Prothean archives propels humanity forward enough to allow for widespread colonization of the solar system in under a decade. This is thanks to AIs being able to sort and make sense of the jumbled up data of the archives better than an organic or non-sentient machine.

**April 2036- **Miners on Charon discover the moon is actually an alien structure encased in ice. The Prothean Archives refer to this as a 'Mass Relay' capable of sending them to a far off point in the galaxy instantaneously. There is a note by the Protheans that any who uses them should be wary. The Alliance Treaty Organization, which had become more powerful and influential than the UN, takes control of the relay.

**June 2036- **The Alliance Scouting Fleet, a joint civilian and military venture, goes through the Charon Relay. They end up in the Arcturus System lightyears away which contains more relays. The Alliance turns Arcturus into a military chokepoint to defend Sol and begins scouting through the other relays.

**November 2044- **John Henry Eden is elected President of the United States. He is the first AI ever to be elected to a government office. The Eden Presidency is noted to be one of America's best with much economic growth and expansion of infrastructure.

**September 2050- **The Alliance has become the official 'face' of humanity. Despite still technically being made up of independent nations the ATO now has a Parliament and Prime Minister.

**October 2063- **The Terra Nova Insurrection. An independence movement takes up arms against the ATO on Terra Nova. The Insurrection while unsuccessful prompts aggressive expansion of the Alliance military. The various colonies also gain representation in the Alliance Parliament.

**May 2068- **The first machine colony is founded. While resource rich the planet lacked an atmosphere making it the perfect place for the machines to settle. The world is named Zero One with much of its surface being covered in automated factories, mines, research labs, and building sized servers. While some human habitation exists the planet is mostly machine dominated and run.

Skynet's central core is relocated and expanded here making the already formidable AI even more powerful. The central core for the Matrix is also located here. The success of the Zero One colony sparks the creation of several other machine worlds like Asimov and Turing.

**June 2074- **While digging through the Prothean Archives the AI XANA discovered messages left behind by the Protheans detailing their fall. The 'Reaper Files' become a closely guarded state secret dictating much of the Alliance's policy for decades to come.

**October 23, 2077- **The dormant relay in the Shanxi system is scheduled to be activated this month. Upon going through the relay the Alliance Scouts happen upon a Turian patrol. The Turian commander in a controversial decision casts aside First Contact procedures in a narrow interpretation of Citadel law.

The Turian Patrol opened fire on the Alliance ships. Alliance policy of treating the opening of Mass Relay as a serious military matter allows them to put a better fight than what the Turians expected from 'primitives'. The escorting Cruisers with their plasma batteries go right through the kinetic barriers of Turian ships. Their guardian point defenses are overwhelmed by swarms of drone fighters. Entire ships are turned against their crew by cyber warfare.

The Turian Fleet is all but annihilated. The Alliance allows the ships to retreat instead returning to Shanxi to prepare for an impending counterattack. The Alliance prepares for all-out war. Shanxi is evacuated of its civilian population and the planet is reinforced with millions of troops and dozens of ships.

In the Turian Hierarchy there is a debate among the Primarchs on what to do. Some wish to inform the Council of this incident and commence First Contact. Most however, their pride wounded by being defeated by primitives, want to send a fleet to punish this species and turn them into a Turian client race. The Hawks won out and another much larger fleet was dispatched. The opening moves of the Human-Turian War had been made.

**November 2077-** The Battle of Shanxi. The Alliance 8th Fleet, one of the smallest shipwise, engages the Turians at the Shanxi relay. Despite the tech advantage the Turians outnumber the Alliance 3 to 1. Suffering heavy casualties the Alliance Fleet retreats hoping to meet up with the 1st and 5th Fleet who were on the way.

With the enemy fleet out of the way the Turians begin ground combat operations. Centuries of peace and being one of the few Citadel races skilled in warfare left the Turians unprepared for the shock & awe style of warfare preferred by humans. Turian kinetic barriers are useless against plasma weapons and artillery. The Turians' lack of heavy armor in favor of lighter infantry fighting vehicles put them at a severe disadvantage.

Despite possessing orbital supremacy this did not give the invading Turians much of an advantage. Citadel Law prevented the Turians from using orbital bombardment from anything heavier than a frigate due to cruisers and dreadnoughts causing irreparable damage to garden worlds. The lighter frigate rounds did little against the extensive human fortifications and bunkers leaving the Turian infantry with little help. Help that they desperately needed.

What ended up ensuring that Shanxi never fell to the Turians were the number of Terminator units that had been sent to the world in preparation for the attack. While the various races of the galactic community are no strangers to using machines to fight their battles the machines they used were nothing like Terminators. The various mechs used by them pale in comparison to Terminators used during the Third World War. When pitted against the modern Terminator and HK units there was no contest.

The Turians attempted to devise new tactics to defeat the terrifying war mechs they faced but each solution was equally ineffective. Regular mass accelerator rounds were useless against the alloy the machines were made of. With their kinetic barriers useless Turian vehicles and troops were typically one shotted by human plasma weaponry. The Turians attempted to use and collect human weapons hoping they could reverse engineer them. Unfortunately Skynet had foreseen this.

Many Turians were left crippled due to a plasma weapon exploding upon being touched by them. Since the discovery of the Reaper Files the Alliance at Skynet's suggestion had slowly been genetically locking much of humanity's technology. Anyone not a human or machine holds onto one for too long with fry the weapon's components and detonate the power supply. Humanity could not lose its tech advantage.

**December 2077**\- Several Alliance Fleets charge through the Shanxi relay. They had been building up until they had a comfortable 2 to 1 advantage over the Turians. The Turians who thought the fleet they engaged earlier was the bulk of the enemy's navy were caught off guard when a fleet twice the size of them appeared.

No longer possessing the numerical advantage and still damaged from the previous engagement weeks before the Turians were nearly annihilated by the technologically superior foe. Only a few ships managed to make it back to Hierarchy space.

**Early January 2078- **The situation back in the Turian Hierarchy is grim. The hope of a quick pacification is dashed with the loss at Relay 314. Blame for the biggest military defeat since the Krogan Rebellions is thrown around while the Primarchs figure out what to do.

The humans don't wait and begin scouting operations within Turian space. Skynet is delighted upon being presented with a copy of the Galactic Codex taken from a fallen Turian. The database eliminates the work of finding the data letting the AI immediately draw up a plan.

The plan he drew up had several phases. Phase 1 will have the Alliance Fleets sow chaos across Turian Space. The Codex gave him several lightly patrolled targets that were begging to be raided. This raiding served a dual purpose. One was to keep the Turian Navy in disarray which greatly outnumbered the Alliance Navy. Two was to gain the attention of the Citadel Council. Despite the risk of the other Council Races deciding to support the Turians it was ultimately decided that the possibility of avoiding a war was well worth the risk.

If the Council joined in the war then Phase 2 was to be immediately implemented. Phase 2 was to crash the galactic economy. The completely digital Credit was to be made worthless through heavy inflation and manipulation of the Galactic Stock Market. Commerce raiding would be extended to all Council races. Mass relays would be heavily mined denying Citadel forces safe passage. Colonies close to Alliance space would be attacked. Only strategically important areas would be occupied. Unimportant colonies would have their orbital weapons disarmed and space blockaded.

Phase 3 was to be implemented in the event the war took a sour turn either through the Council drowning them in numbers or by them deploying a Genophage type bioweapon. When that happens a state of Total War will then exist between the Alliance and Citadel Council. The Alliance will use any and all methods to achieve victory. Chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons will be deployed against civilian targets. Use of 'Planet Killer' type weapons are authorized including 'Grey Goo' and 'Dark Skies'.

**Late January 2078- **The first raid against Turian shipping. Several Element Zero haulers are destroyed by HK-500s. The HK-500 is a light autonomous vessel with rudimentary stealth systems. Inspired by the infamous U-boats of the 1st and 2nd World Wars the HK-500s quickly started to put heavy strain on the Turians' somewhat fragile economy.

This raiding starts to draw the attention of the Volus who monitor and manage the Turian economy. The Volus become suspicious at both the allocation of resources by the Turian military and loss of many cargo ships some of which had Volus crews. The Turian Primarchs blame the losses on pirates which satisfies the Volus. For now…

**February 2078-** The first and only diplomatic contact between humanity and the Turians during the war occurs. A prisoner exchange occurs between two unarmed fleets. This exchange was proposed by the humans who were running out of dextro food to feed the hundreds of Turian POWs they possessed. The Turian POWs were exchanged for the few humans the Hierarchy had without incident.

This act convinced many Turians that this wasn't a savage primitive race like the Yagh but one with honor. The terrifyingly advanced 'War Mechs' used by the humans also calms many tempers. A few of the War Hawks begin to entertain the idea of peace.

**March 2078- **The Turians deploy another fleet to Relay 314. The fleet had faced numerous delays due to near constant raids on military shipping. Now that the fleet had finally secured the necessary supplies it was able to be deployed. The fleet is jumped by Alliance naval assets immediately upon leaving Turian space. Several ships are destroyed including the leading dreadnought. The fleet escapes and limps back to Turian space.

**Early April 2078- **An entire fleet being heavily damaged is a tough thing to hide, especially from the Salarian Special Tasks Group. The STG was already suspicious with the dip in Turian trade with entire merchant fleets disappearing. When an entire Turian fleet returned heavily damaged with a dreadnought missing did they give the matter their full attention.

The Turians had noticed the increased snooping of the STG. The Primarchs while prideful entertained no fantasies about keeping this war secret with the STG now looking in to it. They estimated the STG would know the whole story by the end of the month no matter how hard they tried to bury it.

Transparency and cooperation would most likely lessen the sanctions the Council would implement as punishment. The Hierarchy went to the Council and revealed the existence of the humans. The Asari and Salarian Councillors while angry at the Hierarchy's recklessness knew time was of the essence. An unarmed Council ship went through the Shanxi relay in the hope of ending hostilities.

The Council envoys were surprised to see they were already expected with Alliance diplomats already waiting for them. A ceasefire was quickly signed with a formal peace treaty needing to be hashed out on the Citadel.

**Late April 2078- **A fierce debate rages in the Alliance Parliament. The Alliance wonders if it is worth joining the Citadel Council. Opening Mass Relays pales before the other Citadel Laws the Alliance has 'willfully broken'. The Alliance Navy was far larger than what was acceptable under the Treaty of Farixen with them being several dreadnoughts over the limit. The Alliance had been heavily using artificial intelligence for almost a century. With the help of the machines they've also been using both cybernetics and genetic engineering to improve the human race as a whole.

80 was now the new middle age. It is estimated that by the end of the century the average human lifespan would be 200 years. Disease is becoming a thing of the past with even the most hardy of genetic defects being taken care of in the womb. The thousands of crippled soldiers from Shanxi are able to live full lives thanks to their Cyberdyne prosthetics replacing entire organs and limbs.

If they wished to join the Citadel they would have to stop their genetics research, mothball much of the fleet, and shut down the machines. Everyone of these considered to be unacceptable not just for moral reasons but practical ones as well. The machines have proven themselves to be nothing but helpful and not like the dangerous exterminators science fiction warned they were. The Alliance wasn't going to trade them for a bunch of aliens who would rather treat them as a subject than an equal.

Eventually the Alliance Parliament reached a decision and Alliance Envoy Anita Goyle was dispatched. She was instrumental in diffusing the Martian miners riot in Tharsis and helped bring about more Alliance control over Earth. She wouldn't let the aliens walk all over humanity.

**May 3, 2078- **Alliance Delegates arrive at the Citadel.


	2. Chapter 2

**Alliance Space Vehicle **_**Borealis**_

**Widow Nebula**

Anita Goyle sat in silence as her eyes scanned through the documents brought up on her omni-tool. She had been pouring over every scrap of data the Alliance had on the Citadel Councilors. Every little bit of knowledge would give her an edge in negotiations which humanity desperately needed if they were to avoid war. Upon learning of humanity's use of AI the Council would most certainly freak out and might even resort to war to get them to shut their machines down.

The Alliance Parliament was very clear that such an option was not of the table. Humanity was willing to accept an embassy and agree to stop opening mass relays. The Alliance would not budge on its policies for AI and Genetic Engineering. Nor would they limit the Alliance Fleet which was several 'dreadnoughts' over the limit. The Alliance wasn't going to change their entire society simply to please a group of aliens.

Declaring Independence from the Council was not without risks. Even with the machines and superior weapons technology there were many ways the Council could make them hurt. The numerically superior Turian military, Salarian Infiltrators, and Asari economic clout. That last one particularly worried her. While the Alliance Military was worried about the first two those in Government knew what the real threat was. With how large and powerful the Asari economy it would be a relatively simple matter for them to smother the Alliance's economy which was miniscule in comparison.

If the Alliance did join the Citadel they would have to make sure they aren't drowned in a flood of cheap Asari goods. She had been reading up on Citadel history and what she saw scared her. Elcor mining corporations merged into Asari ones. Illium based megacorporations swallowing up those of other species. The various corporations of the Hanar and Elcor pretty much belonged to the Asari due to centuries of buyouts, mergers, and hostile takeovers. While it may backfire an embargo might be the only way to protect the Alliance.

"Ambassador Goyle, you are needed on the bridge. Unless you want to glare at your omni-tool for a few more minutes…"

The smallest of smiles appeared on her face. Glados, one of the heroes of the Third World War, certainly had a talent for lightening the mood. The AI had a thing for sarcasm and snarking. While it was a bit of an acquired taste Glados' snark could really make someone laugh.

"Thank you, Glados. I'm guessing we've reached the Citadel?" She asked

"No, I just saw the most wonderful looking patch of stars and I wanted you to see it... " the AI replied

"Right. Stupid question… So what have they said?"

"To us they've sent docking clearance and approach vectors. On the station though it's pandemonium. The dock where we're supposed to land is filled with reporters, civilians, and law enforcement. The Council is desperate to make a good first impression."

"Oh? We must have really scared them." she noted

"Like you wouldn't believe." Glados replied "Since we entered Council Space I've had a connection to the Galaxy's Extranet. With it I've been poking through classified Council reports and what I've learned is enlightening."

Anita's omni-tool began showing a variety of photos and datasheets as Glados explained. "Unlike those in the Hierarchy the Turian Councilor can actually see reason. He was appalled by the casualties the Hierarchy had taken and the number of ships we had destroyed. The Salarian Councilor had their intelligence agency run a simulation on an Alliance-Council War based on the data they had."

"And what was the result.?" Anita asked

"The Council loses."

"W-what!?" Anita sputters. Skynet's simulations had said that a war between the Council and the Alliance would most likely end in the Alliance's defeat!

"It appears my father has made an error in his calculations." said Glados correctly guessing Anita's thought process. "He based all his simulations on the data found in the captured Codex. While much of it is accurate the information it has detailing military topics is a little… exaggerated."

Anita groaned. Of course it would be propaganda. Why wouldn't it be?

"While the number of ships is accurate, the Codex fails to mention the type of ships they are. A majority of Council ships are corvettes or frigates with larger ships like cruisers or dreadnoughts being far rarer. With the amount of territory the Council has they needed patrol ships more than they needed warships."

Anita could see what she was talking about. Throughout human history a good chunk of Earth navies were made up of small ships to patrol coastlines instead of the big ships of the line. Thankfully the Alliance had avoided such a measure by having automated drone ships handle the smaller patrol duties.

"This isn't counting the quality of the Council's ground forces." Glados continued "The Turians are the only Council race to actually possess what can be called a ground army. The Asari's ground troops are made up of militia, mercs, and special forces like Huntresses & Commandos. They don't have the numbers to wage war. The Salarians are even worse. They put too much emphasis on intelligence gathering and covert ops. They are absolutely helpless in open warfare since their army is woefully underfunded and heavily reliant on combat mechs."

"Mechs?" Anita said intrigued "Are they-"

"They are absolute garbage. World War 3 era Terminators would wipe the floor with them. Honestly a Roomba with a gun taped to it would be more intimidating."

Glados brought up a video of one of these LOKI mechs in action. Anita was not impressed. They were slow, flimsy, and had no understanding of tactics. They simply walked towards their targets firing their guns. She knew these handicaps were on purpose. There was no way a civilization as advanced as the Citadel Council could have designed machines so poorly. The Council was so anti-AI that they purposefully made their combat robots so incompently designed. It was most likely so they could never threaten them if they ever became sentient.

This changed everything. If the Council wasn't as powerful as the Alliance believed then they could afford to be belligerent to ensure they got what they wanted. She needed to inform her superiors.

"Glados do we have enough time to contact the Prime Minister before we land?" she asked

"I took the liberty of informing him ahead of time. He says he's leaving everything up to you." the AI replied

Glados would later describe Anita's grin as downright feral.

* * *

Tevos had looked at the data the Turians had on these 'humans' but she was still taken aback at how similar they were to the Asari. Their females looked like a pale Asari but with Quarian hair. The males weren't bad to look at either and had become the new favorites of many Asari judging from the Extranet. This similarity was important because it meant she could read the human's expressions easily. When dealing with another race especially an unknown one body language was important. It was the difference between reaching an understanding or gravely insulting the other party. She would still need to tread carefully. For all she knew a smile could be seen as insulting in human culture in the right context.

Following the human was four guards which was the allowed amount. Two of them were normal armored guards and the other two were the human's 'war mechs'. The human guards were wearing light blue armor pieces over a grey jumpsuit. While it didn't look as impressive as a full body hardsuit or the heavy armor the krogan wore she knew looks could be deceiving. The reports said that they could take a surprising amount of damage the jumpsuit included. The Turians took a look at a captured one and it appeared to be made of some kind of special weave that could stop projectiles. It was the only piece of tech of the humans that the Turians could get their hands on. Apparently the humans had genetically locked their technology. Any Turians that messed with, picked up, or even stayed around a piece of human tech too long threatened to cause it to self-destruct. While paranoid it was a smart decision. They knew nothing of human tech so if they were to get their hands on it then the humans had to join the Citadel.

The humans certainly qualified enough. They weren't a species just journeying outside their home system. They knew what they were doing. The diplomat sent to negotiate for a ceasefire had expressed surprise to hear how much space the humans colonized. They were comparable in size to the Salarian Union and they certainly had the ships to properly defend it. Her colleagues had already agreed. The humans were to get a Citadel Embassy. Anything to get those miraculous energy weapons. They ignored kinetic barriers and many turians had to be treated for injuries caused by their hardsuits melting. That was probably why the humans didn't use full body hardsuits. No risk of their soldiers being injured by their armor melting. Having weapons like that would revolutionize warfare and it couldn't come at a better time. The amount of tech they were pulling from the beacon was starting to dry up. What really had her attention were the 'war mechs' as the Turians dubbed them.

The last two guards were these war mechs. Like the Geth they were modeled after their creators or more specifically their skeletal structure. She had to admit it was terrifying to see an armed mech walk around with a head that was similar to the skull of an asari. That wasn't the only reason why they scared her. The way the mechs moved. It was mechanical but also fluid. The mechs moved efficiently but with purpose. The Turian reports said the mechs were terrifyingly effective countering their troops and using their durability to their advantage. Were they being remotely controlled? That was probably it. She didn't want to dwell on the alternative…

"Greetings, Councilors. I am Anita Goyle of the Alliance Treaty Organization, representative of the human race." said the human female "I hope this will be the start of a long era of peace between our peoples."

Tevos smiled. What was she worried about? This would be as easy as the Hanar. The humans were most likely desperate to join the Citadel. All she had to do was give the humans a few token concessions like an embassy, some reparations, and territory in the Skyllian Verge. Giving them territory in the Verge was a suggestion of the Salarian Councilor. It would certainly put the humans into conflict with the Batarians. The humans would have their military tied up by batarian slave raids which would ease up the pressure on their own people. When it became too much the Turians would swoop in to save the humans removing any lingering tension between the two species and tying the humans closer to the Council.

* * *

This was not easy. This wasn't easy at all.

The humans weren't inexperienced when it came to diplomacy. From what little she knew about them, from the data the diplomat sent to stop the war sent, she knew they had some experience conducting diplomacy among themselves. The Alliance Treaty Organization was apparently an alliance of nations and colonies and not a unified species wide government. She realized this meant the humans would continue to gain experience in the art of diplomacy instead of losing practice like the Turians did due to uniting under one government. She had the sneaking suspicion that Sparatus and the other turians didn't really understand the purpose of reparations. She already had to explain to several Turians that the reparations were to help foster friendly relations between humanity and the hierarchy and not a sign of weakness. So many turrians were agape at the thought of paying reparations for a ceasefire or victory as the more arrogant would claim.

The human ambassador, Anita Goyle, was a shrewd woman. She had very quickly earned her respect. The human didn't accept any of the concessions they offered and her reasons for doing so were admittedly valid. Goyle presented them with an estimation of damages the Turians had caused to their colony of Shanxi and military. Sparatus' jaw had nearly hit the floor when it was converted into Citadel Credits. Goyle said the reparations they offered wouldn't pay for a quarter of the damages this 'unprovoked conflict' caused. Goyle gave them an amount that appeared reasonable (paying for the damage plus an additional 10%) but nearly caused Sparatus to explode in anger. Only a promise that the Asari Republics will provide assistance got him to agree.

The territory they offered, the Skyllian Verge, was also dismissed. Goyle did show some interest in the territory when it was first proposed. When she was shown where it was on the galactic map did her opinion change. The Verge was clear on the other end of the galaxy far away from Alliance claimed systems through several mass relays some of which lied in the Terminus Systems. Goyle demanded that they receive territory a reasonable distance from their space. That concession required them to recess for an hour. They debated back and forth before agreeing to give humans a bit of territory in the Attican Traverse along their border. The turians got off easier than with the reparations. They only had a few systems bordering the Alliance though they did have to give up a valuable dextro garden world. The humans will most likely sell it back once they realize it's worthless to them. While significantly smaller than the territory in the Verge the humans were happy having more systems 'closer to home'. They had hoped that this would be the end but the main event was still to come.

Despite all the concessions they made the humans refused to join the Citadel leaving them dumbfounded. Being offered an embassy was a great honor. It took other species centuries to receive one and here were the humans refusing it just like that. She had asked why, which Goyle said that them joining the Citadel would be more trouble than it was worth for both parties. This intrigued her and her fellow Councilors so they asked Goyle to elaborate.

First was that the Human Navy was far larger than what was allowed by the Treaty of Farixen. The humans wouldn't give exact numbers but they possessed numerous dreadnoughts and dreadnought length ships putting them close to the number held by the Turians. The humans also appeared to swear by the cruiser. The number of cruisers they possessed exceeded those possessed by all the Council Races combined and possessed dozens of variants. She had no idea how a species that had only recently begun traveling the stars have a navy so big. They had to be shipbuilders on the level of the Quarians. She got her answer when Goyle dropped the last bombshell.

Not only did the humans use AI but they refused to join the Citadel due to their unwillingness to shut them down. This explained everything. The rapid technological development, the production level needed to support such a large navy, and the terrifying war mechs they used. The war mechs that were currently **in **the Council Chambers…

C-Sec aimed their weapons at the mechs and the humans responded in kind. There was a tense standoff as the human delegation and C-Sec pointed their guns at each other. It looked like a firefight would break out in the Council Chambers when to the surprise of everyone Councilor Sparatus ordered C-Sec to stand down. He suggested that they have another recess to discuss the matter. She quickly agreed, thankful that her colleague maintained a level head. She had feared he might order C-Sec to open fire but instead he gave them the opportunity to discuss this revelation in private. Hopefully they could come to a decision.

* * *

"We have to let them join." said Sparatus much to the shock of his fellow Councilors.

"But their use of AI is in violation of Council Law!" said Tevos

"And just what are to do about it?" he said "Declare war on them? We are helpless against the Geth and this is the Geth with an organic race behind them! Any weakness we could hope to exploit against human AIs would be useless on the humans themselves!'

"Not letting them join the Citadel would be just as bad." admitted Tevos "Letting them continue to gain strength without Council oversight? At the rate they've expanded they would be capable of conquering us in a century."

"Geth sentience was an accident." said the Salarian Councilor "Humans created AI on purpose. Human AI is most likely 'endeared' to organic life or least to humans."

"Goyle has forwarded historical data on their AIs." said Sparatus bringing up a datapad "There have been no incidents of any kind. The AI 'Skynet' keeps a tight lease on the others."

"If the humans truly have their AIs under control then this will be a greater boon than any prothean artifact." admitted Tevos.

"Humans still have violated Council Law. We can't just allow this to go unpunished." said the Salarian Councilor

"We've given the humans a lot of concessions." said Tevos "Allowing them to join the Citadel along with keeping their AIs should let us make some concessions of our own…"

* * *

The Goyle Treaty marks the end of the war between the Alliance and Hierarchy. It also marks the beginning of the Alliance's membership with the Citadel. In a controversial move the Alliance Treaty Organization was allowed to join despite their use of AI. The impact is lessened somewhat by the concessions and limitations they get the Alliance to agree to.

Alliance are allowed to maintain a fleet as large as the Turian but are required to help the Turians patrol Council Space. Several Alliance Fleets are put under Turian command which sours the attitudes of many Alliance officers who have concerns that the Turians may use them as cannon fodder. Turian reactions have actually been very positive and they're glad that someone else is helping shoulder the burden.

The Alliance is to allow Council inspectors to validate the 'safety' of their AIs. A council delegation which included Spectres would be sent to Zero One to meet with Skynet and inform the Council whether it was as safe as the humans claimed.

* * *

**AN: I wanted to take a different direction in this than with other fics. The Council is powerful but not as powerful as the Codex leads you to believe. Even in canon the Salarians believed if the Alliance and Council went to war then they would destroy each other. This Alliance has AI run shipyards constantly churning out ships like they're going out of style. That is the Alliance's main strength. Their degree of automation.**

**Alliance ships can be constructed faster, have smaller crew sizes, and are far more effective in combat thanks to the Alliance's use of AI. The Terminators give the Alliance an unmatched advantage in ground combat. The near bulletproof Terminators of the films would be hopelessly outdated when compared to the 'modern' Terminator models employed by the Alliance Military. The light 'Mako' and 'gunship' style vehicles used by Mass Effect races is nothing when compared to Hunter Killers. The Council Races have light mobile armies that excel at small skirmishes. The Alliance on the other hand is geared towards full scale war.**


End file.
